Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions and Support a Good Cause

Swim for MS Challenge Raises Money to Help Improve Lives Today of Individuals Living with MS

Exercising more often is a popular New Year’s resolution, but one that too often proves difficult to keep. But what if thousands of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) were counting on you to keep that commitment?

Swim for MS is an ongoing national fundraising effort that helps the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), a national nonprofit organization, provide support and services to people living with MS and their care partners. Participants set a swimming-related challenge, and recruit friends and family to donate to MSAA to help them reach their goal. Swim for MS is unique in its flexibility. Challenges can be either an ongoing commitment to swim a certain time or distance, or a pledge to participate in a single event, such as a pool party or water volleyball tournament. Participants can join as an individual or as part of a team, and challenges can be completed in any pool. No matter how you participate, you’ll be raising money to help those with MS and their loved ones with vital services and support.

“To date, the Swim for MS initiative has raised more than $320,000 to help improve the lives of people living with MS,” says MSAA President and CEO Douglas Franklin. “That is a powerful motivator to keep those New Year’s resolutions, hit the pool, and help us help others while you get strong and fit at the same time.”

Health experts tout the benefits of swimming as a total-body workout that builds both strength and cardiovascular endurance. Because swimming is low impact and puts less stress on the joints, it is also very beneficial for people with MS. The buoyancy of water helps to support weak limbs, while also providing resistance to strengthen muscles.

MS is a disease of the central nervous system that is estimated to affect 2.5 million people worldwide and more than 400,000 people in the United States. Symptoms vary in terms of type and severity for each person with MS. Although researchers have not yet found a cure, treatments are available to help slow disease activity for most individuals with MS, as well as to manage the symptoms of MS.

About MS
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS), which consists of the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord. MS damages or destroys the protective covering (known as myelin) surrounding the nerves of the CNS, and can potentially injure the nerves as well. This damage causes reduced communication between the brain and nerve pathways. Common MS symptoms include visual problems, overwhelming fatigue, difficulty with balance and coordination, and various levels of impaired mobility. Many experts estimate that 2.5 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with this disease, and most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 50. MS is not contagious and researchers continue to look for both a cause and a cure.

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Last Update: Wednesday, August 16, 2017

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